Ingredients

• 5 dried pasilla chile peppers
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cups chopped onions
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
• 1 8-to-10-ounce bag tortilla chips
• 1 3.1-ounce disk Mexican chocolate, chopped
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 to 1 cup grated Oaxaca cheese or monterey jack cheese
• 2 to 4 tablespoons Mexican crema or sour cream
• 2 to 4 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions

1. Preheat the broiler. Stem and seed the chile peppers and soak in warm water until soft, about 15 minutes. Drain.
2. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a blender and add the chiles, chicken broth, peanut butter, sugar and oregano. Coarsely crumble 1/4 cup tortilla chips, add to the blender and puree until smooth. Return the mixture to the saucepan and simmer, stirring, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chocolate until melted. Season the mole with salt and pepper.
3. Place the remaining tortilla chips in a baking dish. Pour about 2 cups mole on top (reserve the rest for dipping); sprinkle with the cheese. Broil until the cheese melts, about 2 minutes. Top with the crema and cilantro.
4. Photograph by Yunhee Kim